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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11.02.2009COUNCIL WORK SESSION November 2, 2009 4:00 p.m. Council Chambers Members present: Getty, Hart, Greenwood, Steve Schmitt, Welper, Reggie Schmitt. Absent: Cole. Moved by Reggie Schmitt, seconded by Steve Schmitt that the Agenda, as proposed, be approved. Ayes: Six. Absent: Cole. Motion carried. Mayor Hurley noted that the changes to the City Council Hotel/Motel Tax Grant form and process is almost done. He stated that Councilperson Hart expressed interest in this and got input from everyone. Mayor Hurley stated that it is down to this particular form and that it is also on the agenda. He stated that moving it forward or not is up to the Council. Councilperson Hart distributed information regarding some small revisions that were done after input from Councilperson Schmitt and Michelle Weidner, Chief Financial Officer. Mayor Hurley asked if there were any changes in the tax exempt arena. Councilperson Hart stated that he was waiting for some input on that particular part during the work session. Councilperson Hart reviewed the handout and commented on a possible process that could be used. He suggested doing the process quarterly after having a conversation with Michelle Weidner. Mayor Hurley asked what changes were made. Councilperson Hart stated that item number 12 was changed. Councilperson Reggie Schmitt commented that he spoke with Councilperson Hart regarding this item and stated that the item sounded incomplete. Councilperson Reggie Schmitt stated that originally item 12 asked that a 1 page final report detailing the results of the project be submitted. Councilperson Reggie Schmitt stated that he questioned when the report was to be submitted, what the content should be, what the consequence is if a report is not submitted and suggested adding something about future applications not being considered if a final report is not submitted. Councilperson Hart commented on the first original paragraph at the top on the first page. He stated that he questioned what Mayor Hurley had originally suggested about sending the form back and questioned who would be responsible for actually sending it back. Councilperson Hart stated he felt the council should not review them because he didn't know if we wanted the City Clerk sending 10-15 applications back. Councilperson Hart stated that he was putting that part of the accountability back on the entity. Mayor Hurley stated that would mean that if council detected some small error, that it would sit or it wouldn't be reviewed. Councilperson Hart stated his willingness to revise this part also. Councilperson Getty stated this is including a lot of organizations and a lot of activities and asked if this is hotel/motel tax funds. Councilperson Hart stated that it is still hotel/motel, but it's actually getting a solid process that people actually know. He stated that his thoughts were to have a little bit more accountability on the funding that council is actually giving to people, but it's not changing the people being able to be awarded. Mayor Hurley stated he wrote a summary of staff responses to Council on September 21, 2009 and sat on his desk for a while. He believes that Council started talking about this back in August. Councilperson Welper commented that he really appreciates all of the work that Councilperson Hart has done on this and whoever else has worked on this. He stated that he understands the accountability of the money that is handed out and caution that we don't turn into another Convention & Visitors Bureau. Councilperson Welper stated that we've been here long enough that we've gone through stacks of requests and that is not a fun thing to do. We are very fortunate that the Convention & Visitors Bureau has taken that task over, and that he doesn't want to go back to that. He stated he is not against it, but caution that they don't get themselves a job that they don't want. Councilperson Welper, stated that they're looking at support of tourism and heads on beds. The reason that these people come to us is because they do provide some form of entertainment to the community but don't necessarily put heads on beds. They don't qualify for the grants through the Convention and Visitors Bureau, that's why they come to us. Mayor Hurley stated that the sense here is that we lack a certain type of structure. We do it one way for this one and then another way for that one. Mayor Hurley stated that number 11 requires documentation of IRS 501c, and he thought originally it was C3, but that we don't want to do that. Mayor Hurley stated that we want a tax exempt status but our own city isn't a C3 so that would rule out police and fire, for instance, for overtime. Mayor Hurley stated that another thing that we didn't ask for but it would be helpful when we write the checks is their W-9 form that gives their taxpayer identity. Mayor Hurley stated that incomplete applications will not be reviewed. He doesn't know who is going to see these things first whether it's the Clerks office or the Mayor's office, to detect if something is incorrect. Councilperson Greenwood stated that if its incomplete, then we should just go back and try to be user friendly instead of throwing it in the wastepaper basket. Councilperson Greenwood stated that the only thought that he had is if its truly something that supports tourism and heads on beds, then would we give it to the Convention & Visitors Bureau instead of looking at it. Mayor Hurley stated that with the BBQ'Loo the Convention & Visitors Bureau didn't award anything to that after all of this time and a lot of people bring in their fancy trucks and vans and sleep over there, but it does create quality of life and a little bit of tourism. And so its like what Councilperson Welper stated that some of those just fall through. They don't meet the criteria they are in a stiffer competition in asking for more money when they go to Convention & Visitors Bureau. Mayor Hurley asked about the process. Councilperson Hart suggested that four times a year, with complete applications, a small Ad -Hoc Council Committee along with the Chief Financial Officer review them quarterly and then submit the, eligible ones to a full Council. Mayor Hurley asked who would appoint the Ad -Hoc Committee. He asked about the applications that are on his desk and if we should send those back and ask that they be reformatted applications. Mayor Hurley stated that we went dry for a year so that we could build up. And so when July 1st comes we know how much discretionary money we have. Michelle Weidner, Chief Financial Officer, stated that she and Councilperson Hart talked earlier today about continuing it so she ran off copies of what we currently have for hotel/motel discretionary. She stated there's a balance in there today of about $80,000.00 that she would propose using to allocate January 1st, April 1st and next July 1st, and then we' 11 use what we collected in 2009. Councilperson Reggie Schmitt asked if so we are always a quarter behind. Michelle Weidner, stated that we are a year and a quarter basically so that we have a balance built up and so that we can project how much money we have in that pod. It makes it much easier for budgeting and then you'd have about $26,000.00 a quarter maybe for the next three quarters then she just averaged the last three years since the casino opened. She stated it would look like we'd probably have an average of maybe $30,000.00 a quarter to start giving out next year, and you could consider doing something like the Gaming Association does. If you have a large commitment that you want to honor, you could potentially say we're going to allocate $5,000.00 of the next three quarters for that large one, and that would still give you other money • • • • to allocate to other projects during that quarter if you wanted to and if you don't want to obviously you don't have to. Mayor Hurley stated that's good thoughts. It gets it much more formal. The only thing is if you get 15 applications in and they are all pretty good and they wet your appetite. In that January 1st period you could give it all away. So you'll have to be discerning. Of course you could do that anyway, it could happen. It was then the consensus of the Council to keep the item on the council agenda. With no further business before the Council, it was moved by Reggie Schmitt, seconded by Steve Schmitt that the meeting be adjourned at 4:12 p.m. Ayes: Six. Absent: Cole. Motion carried. Carol Failor Deputy City Clerk